New Jersey Star Wars Collectors Club

THE SAGA OF THE FORCE => STAR WARS ON TELEVISION => Topic started by: Nicklab on March 04, 2015, 09:27:20 AM

The first season of STAR WARS REBELS is in the books. Season 2 has been picked up and will premiere later in 2015, the exact date TBD.

The first headline for season 2? Sarah Michelle Gellar will be joining the cast (http://www.ew.com/article/2015/03/03/sarah-michelle-gellar-joins-star-wars-rebels-season-2). No details about her character at this time, but you have to think that her husband Freddie Prinze Jr, who plays Kanan, thought that she would be just PERFECT for a role on REBELS.

TEXT FROM THE ARTICLE:

Quote

Sarah Michelle Gellar has joined the voice cast for Star Wars Rebels’ second season.

The announcement was made at Disney Media’s sale and marketing presentations, though details on her role were not released. “We’re thrilled to have Sarah Michelle Gellar on board for season two,” executive producer Dave Filoni said. “She is a true Star Wars Rebels fan and her passion undoubtedly comes through in the voice recording sessions.”

The Buffy alum, whose voiceover roles have also included Robot Chicken and TMNT, joins a voice cast that includes her husband Freddie Prinze Jr., Vanessa Marshall, Steve Blum, Tiya Sircar, Taylor Gray and David Oyelowo.

The series, which takes place between the events of Star Wars Episodes III and IV, is expected to return later this year.

More season 2 cast rumblings. Voice actor Sam Witwer, who has previously played Galen Marek in The Force Unleashed and Darth Maul on CLONE WARS is reported to have been cast as Emporer Palpatine (http://makingstarwars.net/2015/03/sam-witwer-to-return-to-star-wars-for-star-wars-rebels-season-2-and-who-he-is-playing/) for Season 2 of STAR WARS - REBELS.

Great trailer! I'm genuinely surprised that it was about 2 minutes long and featured SO MUCH of Vader. I always got the sense that the series was going to skirt the fringes of the Empire and that the Emporer and Vader would be dealt with in passing. As for the voices of the Emporer and Vader? The voices were DEAD ON! I was left wondering if REBELS actually managed to get Ian McDiarmid and James Earl Jones on board for some voiceover work. And Vader taking on those A-Wings in his personal TIE Fighter? That was fantastic!

It also looks like there might be at least another Inquisitor in the mix. Because there were a number of red lightsabers featured in that trailer.

The red lightsaber staff definitely caught my attention and got the wheels spinning. I think that may be a hint at the return of Asajj Ventress. Her storyline never got fully resolved at the end of CLONE WARS and she went underground. The individual with that lightsaber staff didn't seem overly hostile to someone with a blue lightsaber in one shot, and also had a hat on that looked reminiscent of something the Night Sisters wore.

Overall, the tie-ins with CLONE WARS seem substantial. We know Ahsoka is back in the mix. Asajj Ventress may be a factor, too. And now we're going to see Rex and some of the 501st Clone Troopers as well? It leaves me wondering how Filoni and company will write around Order 66 and especially Anakin's use of the 501st in the sacking of the Jedi Temple.

Check out this USA Today video (http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/tv/2015/06/04/ahsoka-tano-star-wars-rebels-exclusive-video/28457211/). REBELS series Director Dave Filoni and voice actress Ashley Eckstein talk about Ahsoka Tano, her impact on the Star Wars universe and her story arc as it moves toward REBELS season 2.

"The Siege of Lothal" was definitely something good to get us through the summer. Seeing Darth Vader in action in this animated series format was great, too. The space battle was very cool, especially since we really got to see Vader's pilot skills shine as he took out the members of Phoenix squadron at will. And the light saber fight? Vader seemed like he was toying with Kanan and Ezra. But the duel played out pretty well. And when Vader deflected those blaster shots back at Sabine? That seemed a little intense for a kids show.

I also think it was awesome that they could get James Earl Jones back to voice Darth Vader. That really tied things together well. As for Ahsoka and Vader? Clearly Vader knows that Ahsoka is with the rebels. He said as much during his communication with the Emporer. And I got the sense from their connection through The Force during the space battle that Ahsoka knew, too. She seemed very rightly disturbed by the revelation. She seems to be keeping it to herself for now. But I think that ultimately the crew of the Ghost might be in serious danger if they continue to work closely with Ahsoka.

Honorable mention for last night goes to Sam Witwer. He's stepped in as the voice actor who plays Emporer Palpatine. And he nailed it!

As for Vader continuing to appear on the series? I think he's probably going to take a step back. The show runners and much of the audience know that nothing can really happen to Vader. Sure, there's the Ahsoka angle. But the only way that can end is with Ahsoka going into hiding or well, you know. It was also interesting to hear Vader mention Kenobi. There's some real hate there, but we also know how THAT story ends. It's a lot like the situation George Lucas was in with the prequels. Certain notes had to be hit and the previously established story points of the OT meant that the audience knew certain characters were in danger while others were not. And that can diminish the impact of the story.

I'm looking forward to seeing how things shape up in tonight's episode of REBELS. It was cool to see Rex, Wolffe and Gregor back. I kind of like the homage to Jaws in the scene where they were "fishing" for the worms, the music especially!

The level of distrust that Kanan had for the clones was well played. And it was good to see that Kanan was willing to open up to Ezra about it.

So, "Always two there are" is re-airing. And it's got me thinking about one of the new Inquisitors. Notably, the 7th Sister. It's very cool that they've got Sarah Michelle Gellar voicing the part. But there have been some rumblings around the Star Wars community regarding this character. Just who is the 7th Sister? There are actually some rumblings that she could be a fallen Jedi. Perhaps one that we saw in the PT as well as the CLONE WARS animated series.

So, "Always two there are" is re-airing. And it's got me thinking about one of the new Inquisitors. Notably, the 7th Sister. It's very cool that they've got Sarah Michelle Gellar voicing the part. But there have been some rumblings around the Star Wars community regarding this character. Just who is the 7th Sister? There are actually some rumblings that she could be a fallen Jedi. Perhaps one that we saw in the PT as well as the CLONE WARS animated series.

In Rebels Recon, I thought Filoni said the Grand Inquisitor was someone we've already seen in Clone Wars.

I can't say I've followed SMG's career closely, but I thought she did a great job with the voice acting. I'm sure the modulation helped a bit, but still I was impressed.

Last night's episode was interesting. And it seems like we're going to be seeing a trend of episodes that explore the backgrounds of the members of the Ghost's crew. Last week Sabine met up with some Mandalorians. And this week Zeb encounters some fellow Lasat refugees. And we already saw in the midseason trailer that Hera's father, Cham Syndulla, will also be making an appearance.

It was a little different to see The Force manifesting itself like it did in last night's show. The Lasat mysticism, combined with The Force, and Zeb's Bo Rifle made for some things that we haven't really seen before. It was also a bit enlightening to learn that Zeb had been a Captain of the Royal Guard of the Lasat, and he felt this burden over the near annihilation of his people. Although it does seem that Zeb's character is very much changed now, since he now knows that he is not the last of the Lasat.

Check out this EW article about tonight's episode of Rebels (http://m.eonline.com/news/744494/sarah-michelle-gellar-and-freddie-prinze-jr-have-the-battle-you-ve-been-waiting-for-on-star-wars-rebels). They talk about Freddie Prinze Jr and his wife Sarah Michelle Gellar facing off as their characters on screen. And there's another interesting tidbit about the appearance of Yoda in this episode. It turns out that Frank Oz returned to play Yoda in tonight's episode!

Excellent episode, without a doubt! From beginning to end it was solid. The duel with the Inquisitors was pretty intense. And the revelations in the Jedi Temple on Lothal were major game changers in terms of developing Kanan, Ezra and Ahsoka.

I also like the continuity that's being explored from the movies as well as the CLONE WARS series. Frank Oz was great as Yoda. I was left wondering if he did it because it was a one-off, or what? James Earl Jones voicing Vader is always impressive. And bringing back Matt Lanter to voice Anakin was excellent, too.

One of the biggest reveals clearly came from Kanan's vision. Ever since Dave Filoni said that we had seen the Grand Inquisitor in an episode of CLONE WARS, I had been wracking my brain trying to figure out where, when or who he was. Was he one of the Force sensitive children kidnapped by Darth Sidious? Was he perhaps one of the Utapauans who was featured in the incomplete episodes that were only realized as storyboards? Or was he someone else? The realization that he had been a Temple guard was a big deal. There had been talk that some Jedi had gone to the Dark side following Order 66. This confirms that story point.

And then there's the bit that goes WAY BACK to the events of the Knights Of The Old Republic games. When Yoda tells Ezra to go find Malachor! For those who didn't play the game, Malachor 5 was the final location of KOTOR 2, where the Jedi Outcast faced off against Darth Traya and Darth Sion. IIRC, Malachor 5 was destroyed at the end of the game. But the backstory for that system is incredibly forbidding. And I have to wonder how this will play out in REBELS.

Check out this exclusive clip at EW.com (http://www.ew.com/article/2016/03/24/darth-maul-returns-star-wars-rebels?iid=sr-link6) from the season 2 finale of STAR WARS REBELS. Someone is back, and continues to be difficult to eliminate.

This season has seen some evolution of the Rebellion. The Rebel cell that calls the Ghost home has ventured into a larger world, no longer bound to Lothal, and is part of a larger organization. The inclusion of Rex and Ahsoka has tied the Clone Wars era to this new pre-ANH era of the Rebellion. And it seems like Ahsoka may be bound to face her former Master.

It does seem interesting that we now have THREE Jedi/Force users who are working together. This is something I just could not have imagined a few years ago when this series got announced. The idea of Jedi being on the run from the Empire seems compelling, but it also seems like we know the endgame. I have to wonder what kind of future if any that there may be for Kanan, Ezra and Ahsoka.

But that bad penny gave us some amazing action last night! Maul proved that he was far more than the feeble "Old Master" in short order. I really like the way he started to teach Ezra the Sith Code. That alone was one of the numerous story points that made it into this episode that I really appreciated. The fact that they were on Malachor was a big deal, too. Especially if you played the KOTOR games.

The one thing that drove me crazy? The Inquisitors using their lightsabers to fly like helicopters. That was just too much to swallow. All of that aside? The Inquisitors seemed like a big threat to Kanan, Ezra and Ahsoka. They also served to show just what novices Kanan and Ezra are in their Force powers. When Ahsoka fought both the 5th Brother and 7th Sister, she showed just how powerful she was in comparison to them. But the Inquisitors seem more evenly matched with our relatively untrained Jedi like Kanan and Ezra. And when Maul took them on? He completely outclassed the Inquisitors!

I have to say, when Vader turned up it got scary. Because there seemed to be a whole new level of menacing darkness introduced to the situation. I thought that Ezra might not make it out. And it was even more concerning when Kanan got blinded. But when Ahsoka faced off against Vader in the full knowledge of who he really was? That was emotional. I thought that this might be Ahsoka's end. But seeing how we didn't really see that happen on screen? Something tells me that she made it out somehow.

But now Ezra has that Sith holocron. And that seems like it could open a whole new can of worms.

I'm a little shocked that the creative team wimped out and let Ahsoka survive...there's a "blink and you'll miss it shot" of her walking out of the temple (they're even SELLING A SHIRT (http://www.heruniverse.com/most-popular/ahsoka-filoni-boyfriend-tee.html) of said shot). I'm just not sure if Ahsoka surviving is a testament to how powerful she is, or if they're marginalizing Vader's power.

I definitely enjoyed Maul's return, and his subtle tempting of Ezra to the darkside was interesting, it showed just how quickly and innocently enough a well-meaning Jedi can be seduced; at the end of the episode you see Ezra opening the holocron on his own, clearly he's taken a step or two too far. Maul's quick work of the Inquisitors was great as well. I wonder if we'll see more Inquisitors next season, or will Maul become the big bad.

All in all, even if you're not a Rebels fan, this episode serves as a nice epilogue to The Clone Wars series.

Check out this i09 piece (http://io9.gizmodo.com/the-producer-of-star-wars-rebels-answers-your-burning-q-1768048083) that includes some responses from series director Dave Filoni about season 2 of REBELS. Filoni touches on some great points including:

-The fine line of the duel between Ahsoka and Darth Vader-The fate of the Inquisitors-Ezra's tenuous path and dalliance with the Dark Side-The return of Maul-More on the backstory of the Grand Inquisitor-How will REBELS work in conjunction with ROGUE ONE-What's in store for Season 3

Entertainment Weekly filed this report about the upcoming REBELS Season 2 BluRay release (http://www.ew.com/article/2016/08/29/star-wars-rebels-season-2-easter-eggs?xid=entertainment-weekly_socialflow_twitter). And they notably focus on some Easter Eggs that are one of the highlights of the Bonus Features.

Dave Filoni released this yesterday on social media (https://twitter.com/dave_filoni/status/883124880157192192/photo/1?utm_source=fb&utm_medium=fb&utm_campaign=dancurto&utm_content=883391690907635712). It details what was supposed to be an encounter between Ahsoka Tano and Bendu at the end of "The Mystery of Chopper Base".